If recent statements from a high-ranking Republican official are any
indication, the GOP is ready to abandon voters of color before they've
even really attempted to reach them.

Davis

Congressman Tom Davis (R-VA), Chairman of the National Republican Congressional
Committee (NRCC), recently told a party gathering that the GOP should
focus on recruiting gays, saying that would be easier than getting racial
minorities. "Getting more gays and lesbians to vote Republican should
be an easier part of the voter matrix than getting people of color,"
Davis said at the Lincoln Day event in Troy, Michigan.

This remark underscores both the tepid GOP commitment to garnering Black
votes and their fundamental misunderstanding of building an electoral
majority.

As a result, in the 2000 election cycle, Republicans courted Black voters
with the message: "We're not that bad, really. We're not expecting
you to vote for us this time, but maybe next time." Sad and pathetic
are two words that don't really do justice to the so-called GOP outreach
efforts.

While it is true that at least half of Black voters won't even consider
pulling the GOP lever anytime soon, there are two constituencies Republicans
should court: young Black professionals and evangelicals. The former group
is attracted to economic empowerment in the form of tax cuts and reduced
red tape for small business. The latter finds appeal in welfare reform,
pro-life policies, and policies with a strong moral fiber.

This last election, Republicans had visions of sugar plums dancing in
their heads, and they predicted George W. Bush could post the best GOP
results among Black voters since Eisenhower, when Blacks voted Republican.
Not only did George W. Bush not clear the 20 percent hurdle, he failed
to even hit double digits. At a puny 9 percent, George W. Bush polled
the lowest percentage of the Black vote since Nixon in 1968.

This miserable result with a candidate who seemed so promising has prompted
many Republicans to raise the white flag. But what did Republicans do
last fall to marshal the Black vote? Pretty much nothing.

Sure, the Republican National Committee has the New Majority Coalition,
which is dedicated to minority outreach, but its a mere shadow of what
the Democrats have. Democrats campaign on every block and in every church
in urban America, yet the Republicans are almost nowhere to be found.
If the GOP wants to recruit Black voters, they need to do the obvious:
go to the Black voters. In Black churches, Republicans are MIA. On the
airwaves of urban-targeted radio stations last fall, you could hear more
than 10 Democratic or liberal interest group ad for every one from a Republican
or conservative group.

The irony, of course, is that George W. Bush on the issues has more appeal
to Black America than previous Republican presidents. George W. Bush favors
Social Security privatization, school choice for lower-income children,
and charitable choice. All of these reforms have much greater benefit
for Blacks than any other demographic. And this appeal is starting to
spread: according to a recent in poll in the Wall Street Journal, Bush's
approval rating among Blacks has risen from 13 percent in January to 33
percent now.

But that recent progress, which came on the heels of a socially conservative
agenda, could be halted if GOP leaders like Davis have their way. Republicans
like Davis want to emulate the Democratic Party and cater to the radical
special interests that seek to use the heavy hand of government to their
own narrow advantage. Teachers unions and homosexual activists have for
years pulled strings to control Democrats, but now some Republicans are
more than willing to be complicit puppets for these interests.

If homosexual activists really only wanted to be left alone to lead their
own lives, then that would be one thing. But these activists want to curry
special favor with the government and to have politicians set school curriculum
to indoctrinate children that homosexual activity is a safe and normal
activity. But that question is deeply personal, moral, and yes, religious;
not something the government should have a say in.

But courting homosexual activists at the expense of reaching Black voters,
the GOP shows a terrible grasp of electoral math. Homosexuals make up
approximately 3 percent of the voting pool, or roughly one-fourth the
number of Black voters. One-third of gays already vote Republican, meaning
that the potential number of homosexual converts could be no more than
2 percent of the voting population. But in what parallel universe could
the GOP ever get more than 50 percent of the overall gay vote?

But among Black voters, Republicans have a lot of room for improvement.
In 2000, Blacks finally turned out in force, representing 12 percent of
voters. Bush captured roughly one-twelfth of these votes. Given that there
are four times as many Blacks as gays, and given that Republicans now
receive a much lower portion of the Black vote, it doesn't take a rocket
scientist to figure there are more votes to be gained by targeting Black
voters. But adopting the gay activists' agenda would alienate the Black
evangelicals that Republicans have the best chance to win over.

If the GOP is to have any hope staying the majority party, they had better
stay the course started by George W. Bush with a clear, focused empowerment
agenda and avoid folks like Davis who would water down that message to
court radical fringe groups.

Star
Parker is founder and president of the Coalition on Urban Renewal
& Education (CURE); a grassroots research organization addressing
issues that impact Black America and the poor.

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